The Kid lies as usual
Anyone who does not already know that Rep. Dennis Cardoza, the Pimlico Kid - Merced, is a lying "sack of offal" (in the felicitous phrase of Fitzgerald of the Stockton Record) should not be trusted around public funds, should not be permitted to vote on any issue or be left alone with children. We all know that. But in the following little love note to Westlands and Metropolitan of Southern California, the Kid surrenders his heart and soul -- hook, line, bottle and bookie -- to the oligarchy of water, land, finance and insurance. Nobody who can get up in the morning, tie his or her shoelaces and go to work or go look for work believes anything the Kid says anymore. We all know he's just doing his daily assignment of kissing gold-plated butt in the middle of a regional economic depression. He's just doing his job.
We hope our readers enjoyed their holidays.
Badlands Journal editorial board
12-1-09
Congressman Dennis Cardoza
http://co113w.col113.mail.live.com/default.aspx?n=1430739263
Dear Friend:
Today the California Department of Water Resources announced that only a 5-percent allocation of water would be provided to our Valley farmers. I strongly condemn this reduction and believe much more can be done to assist our agriculture community during such dire times. To read my full statement and more about this issue, please click here.
As always, you are free to contact any of my offices or write to me by clicking here.
Sincerely,
Dennis Cardoza
Member of Congress
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12-1-09
Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California
Rep. Cardoza released the following statement on the reduced allocations for agricultural water announced by the California Department of Water Resources:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2009 CONTACT: Mike Jensen
(202) 225-6131
http://www.house.gov/list/press/ca18_cardoza/PRDWRCUTS.html
WASHINGTON, DC – The California Department of Water Resources initial allocation of just 5 percent for the State Water Project today is nothing short of an abomination. This is the lowest initial allocation of water that has ever been awarded in the history of this water system. We have moved beyond a regional water emergency and are now staring in the face of a statewide emergency and a potential national food crisis. It is this simple: Without water, our California farmers cannot grow the crops that feed our nation.
Over the past year my colleagues and I have provided numerous proposals – such as various water improvement projects and legislative fixes – that would provide real relief to our farmers and ensure water is delivered for their crops. Just last month, I introduced bipartisan legislation with my fellow Valley Congress members calling for a reconsultation of the biological opinions on salmon and smelt, as well as a review of the science and all of the factors affecting water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This bill would force an objective scientific examination of the declines of fish populations in the Delta and prevent the pumps from being made the scapegoat for all the problems in the Delta.
The state’s water shortages are being exacerbated by the regulatory drought. It is essential that the U.S. Department of the Interior and other state and federal agencies provide greater flexibility in their water management decisions as well as work collaboratively with the state of California on the proposals my colleagues and I have offered to address the water shortages.
In addition to facing unemployment rates of more than 40 percent in some of our Valley farming communities, our nation today is one significant step closer to becoming an importer of the vegetables, fruits and nuts currently grown in California. This must end and it must end now. We have solutions. We simply need the appropriate agencies to explore every creative approach that can both turn on the pumps and jump start the California and national economies.
12-1-09
California Department of Water Resources
News for Immediate Release
12/01/09
Contacts: - Ted Thomas, Chief Public Information Officer (916) 653-9712
- Don Strickland, Public Information Officer (916) 653-9515
DWR Releases Initial 2010 State Water Project Allocation
http://co113w.col113.mail.live.com/default.aspx?n=1430739263
Sacramento – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced an initial allocation of five percent of total contracted water deliveries to the State Water Project (SWP) contractors for 2010. Five percent is the lowest initial allocation percentage since the SWP began delivering water in 1967.
“The Legislature took a major step forward earlier this month to address the state’s water needs by heeding Governor Schwarzenegger’s call and passing the most comprehensive water package in California history,” said DWR Director Lester A. Snow. “Nevertheless, on the heels of a three-year drought, we need to prepare now so that we have adequate water supplies for homes, farms and businesses.”
The previous low for an initial allocation as a percentage of SWP contractors’ requests was 10 percent in 1993, but that number was increased to 100 percent during the year as supply conditions improved. The initial figure for 2009 of 15 percent was increased to a final allocation of 40 percent in May.
The historical average of final SWP allocations as a percentage of initial requests over the past 10 years has been 68 percent.
The initial allocation is a very conservative estimate of what DWR expects it can deliver as a percentage of SWP contractors’ initial requests for contracted water deliveries for a calendar year.
This year, the contractors have requested 100 percent of the maximum contractual amount allowed -- 4,171,996 acre-feet. While the initial 2010 allocation is only five percent of that amount, actual deliveries are expected to increase during the year once actual hydrologic and water supply conditions are known. SWP contractors provide water to more than 25 million California residents and more than 750,000 acres of farmland.
The initial allocation figure reflects the low carryover storage levels in the state’s major reservoirs, ongoing drought conditions and federally mandated environmental restrictions on water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect endangered fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The Department of Fish and Game’s most recent survey indexes indicate that all four Delta pelagic fish species (Delta smelt, Longfin smelt, Striped bass and Threadfin shad) are at their lowest-ever population levels.
DWR will continue to monitor water supply conditions and drought impacts to identify any necessary supplemental response actions this year and will move aggressively to plan for a potentially dry 2010 in coordination with other state, federal and local agencies and the water community.
The announcement is part of the Department’s effort to implement Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Drought Executive Order (S-06-08) directing DWR to help local water districts and agencies proactively address these conditions.
11-28-09
Stockton Record
Lying sacks of offal...Michael Fitzgerald...11-25-09
http://blogs.esanjoaquin.com/stockton-metro-columnist/2009/11/25/lying-sacks-of-offal/
There are times when PR people are lying sacks of offal. Today’s paper documents a doozy of an example.
A group with the effrontery to call itself Friends of the Delta is running ads blaming the Delta’s collapse on Stockton and 12 other cities that release treated wastewater into the estuary.
That’s beyond perfect. First, the Orwellian name, a travesty of deception by south-Valley land owners seeking to destroy the Delta and fatten their wallets. Then the coup juste – victim blaming. Hey, we’re taking your water, destroying your natural heritage, supporting an obsolete and delusional policy of perpetual growth … and it’s your fault.
Perhaps we should send an apology card.